PERC 2021 Abstract Detail Page
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| Abstract Title: | Test anxiety, self-efficacy, and gender: A quest for equitable assessment practices in physics |
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| Abstract: | Prior research shows that gender differences in self-efficacy and test anxiety can predict students' course performance. Although there has been research that uses test anxiety and self-efficacy to predict student grades, no study to our knowledge has investigated this in the context of low- and high-stakes physics assessments. In this work, we used survey data and grade information to compare the predictive power of self-reported selfefficacy and test anxiety on low-stakes (e.g., homework and quizzes) and high-stakes (e.g., traditional exams) assessment scores in a traditionally taught large introductory physics course. We found that there are gender differences in both self-efficacy and test anxiety, as well as in high-stakes assessment outcomes. There were no gender differences in low-stakes assessment scores. Further, we found that models that control for self-efficacy and/or test anxiety eliminate the predictive power of gender for high-stakes assessment scores. Finally, we found that self-efficacy partially mediates the effect of test anxiety on high-stakes assessment outcomes. These trends suggest that teaching methods that alleviate test anxiety have the potential to create a more equitable learning environment. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
| Session Time: | Poster Session 2 Room D |
| Poster Number: | 2D-5 |
| Contributed Paper Record: | Contributed Paper Information |
| Contributed Paper Download: | Download Contributed Paper |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Chandralekha Singh University of Pittsburgh |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Alysa Malespina - University of Pittsburgh |
